Senior Project System Engineer

National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)•Chantilly, VA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This is a senior project systems engineering leadership position in the Signals Intelligence Systems Acquisition Directorate (SIGINT) Space Systems Program Office (SSPO) Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I) Division. This position leads and manages the work of a large government and contractor team conducting space systems engineering and integration activities to include, but not limited to, major design reviews, requirement management and verification, risk identification and mitigation, technical analysis supporting design trades, segment-level Concept of Operations development, advanced studies, pre-acquisition and acquisition activities, system activation and calibration, ground segment integration and interface management with external segments. Guides technical aspects of contract actions, proposal evaluation, specification changes, technical tradeoffs, corrective actions, workarounds, and the evaluation of contractors' performance. Collaborates with industry and external government team members to resolve space segment system engineering issues. The NRO Cadre is collecting resumes for consideration against current and future opportunities for senior level (GGS-14), non-supervisory Technical, occupational series 0801. Your resume may be considered for other positions which your skills and experience may be a good match. This is a full-time position that is open from May 1, 2026 to May 31, 2026. Resumes must be submitted by 11:59 PM EST on May 31, 2026.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science technical degree (engineering, mathematics, computer science, or physical science).
Expertise in advanced multidisciplinary engineering or related engineering/technical discipline, concepts, principles, practices, standards, methods, techniques, materials, and equipment sufficient to apply experimental theories, principles, and concepts to project development, execution, and advisory services.
Knowledge of and ability to apply analytic, diagnostic, and qualitative techniques sufficient to produce authoritative analytical products, and the ability to employ new methodological approaches to analyze information.
System Engineering experience through requirement definition, verification, and validation.
Demonstrated strong interpersonal, organizational, communication, and management skills to conceptualize and effectively lead complex analytic projects with limited supervision.
Proven critical thinking, reasoning, and problem resolution skills as demonstrated by experience in preparing analytical assessments and other written products with emphasis on clear organization.
Minimum of three years of relative experience outlined in this section.

Nice To Haves

Advanced technical degree (engineering, mathematics, computer science, or physical science).
Knowledge of DoD and Intelligence Community (IC) organizations, missions, relevant policies, and processes.
Technical knowledge of SIGINT systems.
Prior experience in space flight hardware and/or ground hardware & software development with associated integration and test.
Prior experience with Major System Acquisitions and system engineering milestones.
Certifications Required: Current CISM or CISSP certification or willing to obtain within 6 months of being appointed to the position per IAW Cyber Workforce Requirements outlined in DoD 8500.01.
Understanding of cybersecurity networking concepts and protocols, and network security methodologies, security management principles and practices.

Responsibilities

Participate in and/or leads a variety of technical work groups.
Responsible to brief senior staff on a regular basis on program achievements and issue resolution.
Supports lifecycle readiness, risk management, and configuration management processes for all SPO programs. Assesses program readiness ahead of milestone events and recommends approval/disapproval to decision authorities.
Coordinates test planning/support for segment and Enterprise-level tests. Oversees segment-level test execution and verification process.
Lead evaluation of change requests and waivers from the prime development contractor.
Manages requirements and verification baselines.
Lead evaluation of configuration items, requirements, databases, interfaces, verification methodology, and verification of specification and associated interface requirements.
Advise on issues and risks to balance lifecycle cost, schedule, and technical performance.